Counting on from a number is one of those skills a child either practices a hundred times or quietly avoids for a year. Monkey Maths Game makes the practice something children volunteer for: a jungle board, a stack of banana cards, and a monkey that climbs one branch at a time while players work out how far it has moved. The math is the mechanic rather than a chore attached to a game, which is why children keep playing after the timer goes.
Why this game works better than a worksheet
A worksheet gives one attempt per question and no reason to check. A game gives immediate feedback from another player, and it repeats the same operation twenty times in ten minutes without anyone noticing. Because the number cards are separate from the board, the same set covers counting to ten, counting to twenty and simple addition — you change the deck, not the game, and children who have already learned the rules can move up a level with no new explanation.
What’s inside the pack
- A full-color jungle game board that prints across two pages and tapes together, plus a single-page version.
- Three decks of banana number cards for counting to ten, counting to twenty, and addition within twenty.
- Two spinners, one numbered and one with move instructions, with a paperclip spinner method.
- Monkey playing pieces and simple rule cards written in child-friendly language.
- A recording sheet so the game doubles as evidence of practice for your records.
Number skills the game practices
- Counting on — starting from a number rather than going back to one every turn.
- Number recognition — reading numerals quickly, without counting the dots first.
- Subitizing — seeing small groups on the banana cards at a glance.
- One more and one less — the instruction spinner forces both directions.
- Addition within twenty — combining two cards on the harder deck.
- Comparing numbers — deciding who moved further this turn.
- Ordinal language — first, second and third branch as players climb.
- Turn-taking talk — explaining a move out loud so a partner can check it.
Who it’s for
Preschool through grade two, with the harder deck stretching into grade three intervention. It is a natural fit for math centers, a rainy-day indoor recess box, and support teachers who need one game that works with a mixed-age group. Families using it at home get the same three levels without buying anything else.
How teachers use it
Print, laminate and store the whole game in one zip bag per table — board, deck, spinner, pieces. In a rotation, two children play while you take a small group, and the recording sheet gives you something to glance at afterward. Teachers usually introduce the counting deck to the whole class first so that nobody needs the rules explained again once it moves into centers.
A closer look at one component (the rest of the game matches it)
The banana cards print six to a page with the numeral large in the center and a matching dot pattern in the corner, so a child who cannot yet read the numeral has a way in without asking for help. The dot pattern is arranged in the standard dice layout rather than a line, because that is the arrangement children learn to recognize without counting — and recognizing it is the skill the deck is quietly building.
Print editions and file formats
- Included: a full-color edition for laminating and an ink-friendly edition for take-home copies, on US Letter and A4.
- Format: a print-ready PDF with the board, cards, spinners and rules; the download starts as soon as checkout completes.
- Access: lifetime access, so a lost card or a chewed board can be reprinted the same day.
Read the component list before downloading so you know which decks are included and what you will need to cut and laminate.
Frequently asked questions
What file will I download? A single print-ready PDF containing the board, all three card decks, the spinners, the pieces and the rules.
How long does delivery take? No wait — the link is issued at checkout and stored in your account.
Can I change the numbers on the cards? The PDF is fixed, but three decks are included so you can choose the level rather than edit it, and blank banana cards are provided for numbers you want to add by hand.
Printing and licensing? Print as many copies as your own class needs, including take-home sets. The license covers one teacher’s classroom.
More math games are listed in Printable Teaching Resources.
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